Second Chances
by the dark rose maiden
Summary: Circumstances prevented Lotor from marrying Allura.  He gives up his right to marry her in order to save her from his father.  Life goes on, but could there be another chance for him to be with the woman he loves? Rating may go up in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_**First off, the legal stuff. I do not own Voltron or its characters. Those are property of WEP(World Event Productions) and Toei Animation. My original characters(Tirrien, Kara, Elizabeth, and Eric and Vora) are from my imagination and are mine. No profit is made from this. This is strictly fanfiction. I do this for fun and to share my work with other Voltron fans.**_

**Part 1: Reflection and Regret**

Lotor sat in his private chambers at his study. It had been ten years to the day since the events that changed his life forever. He looked down at the stack of papers that never seem to stop growing. He was king. He no longer had to deal with his father telling him what to do. Zarkon had passed away suddenly in his sleep leaving his crown and his throne to pass to Lotor. So long had the prince plotted and schemed to take the throne from his father, and the old man simply croaked from old age and sickness. It was ironic to think that a creature that had caused so much pain and despair, brought so much violence and destruction to millions had himself passed peacefully away. Of course Lotor did not mourn his father's death. He hated the king, hated him with every fiber of his being. The court of Doom was quite suprised that Lotor hadn't actually thrown a party to celebrate his father's passing. In fact, Lotor was hardly emotional at all when he was told of the news that Zarkon had drawn his last breath. It had only been a year after Lotor and Coralle married that Zarkon died.

The king of Doom had no reason to celebrate. He didn't find joy in becoming king. It wasn't the way he wanted. He wanted to dethrone his father himself. He would have relished in watching as the old fiend begrudgingly handed over his crown and all but made way for Lotor to take his place upon the throne of Doom. He would have taken pleasure in watching his father demoted from king to that of a much lower position. It would have pleased him to throw him into the dungeons where he could spend his remaining years languishing and lamenting his lost power. But no...it was not to be.

Nothing went as Lotor thought it would have. He'd been robbed of something more precious than all the power the Druel empire gave him. He'd been robbed of his fondest dream. Lotor sat at his desk looking blankly across at the entrance to his office. He'd given word that no one on pain of death was to disturb him. He wanted to be seen by no one, and wanted to see no one in return. He just wanted to be left alone. He continued to stare at the wall and the closed door as his eyes slowly began to close. Looking at the darkened walls and the quiet seemed to lull him into a trance. He found himself going back to that day...that cursed day he would regret for the rest of his life.

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_"You will marry Coralle, or you will watch your precious little Arusian princess die!" Zarkon roared with rage. _

_Lotor could only stare in disbelief as he saw Allura suspended from a rope with shackles around her wrists. She dangled many feet above the robeast pit where Haggar's nightmarish creations were kept. There was the woman he loved and desired above all others. He never could have imagined that when he finally brought her to Doom that this would happen. Her life was now hanging literally by the shackles that restrained her. Her eyes full of fear as her body hung above the pit of ravenous robeasts. He felt nothing but frustration and hatred boiling in his blood. He never imagined his father would do this to him. How he'd promised that if Lotor could aquire Allura and bring her to Doom, that he would allow his son to marry her. He realized now that it was all a lie. It had all been a trap to bring the princess to Doom and then do away with her once and for all. That is unless Lotor agreed to Zarkon's demand to marry the princess he had chosen for her._

_"Let her go! I didn't bring her here to die! I brought her here to marry her!" Lotor barked in protest trying to keep his rage at bay._

_"You will marry whom I say you will, you insulent brat! You will marry Coralle, or you will watch Allura become the robeasts evening meal!" Zarkon snapped angrily. _

_Lotor watched in horror as the rope lowered perilously closer to the pit. Allura was running out of time. And Lotor's refusal was hastening her to her demise. He wanted to find a way to get her out of this. He couldn't begin to realize how much he regretted bringing her to Doom. He realized only now that he should have taken her elsewhere. He would have risked his father's wrath personally if it meant Allura would be safe. _

_"I grow impatient Lotor! Chose! NOW!" Zarkon thundered._

_He knew what he had to do, but could not bring himself to say the words. There was still that part of him that did not want to give into his father's demands._

_"Drop her in!" Zarkon barked loudly._

_"NO!" Lotor screamed seeing Allura was about to be dropped to her death._

_"I'll marry Coralle." Came his choked reply. _

_"I'm sorry, could I hear you say that a little louder?" Zarkon asked with a victorious smirk on his face._

_"I said I'll marry Coralle." Lotor said trying not to sound broken, though inside his heart had just shattered into a thousand pieces._

_"Yes, you will marry Coralle. And you will never again set foot on Arus. You will never again seek out princess Allura. Now swear it before my presence, and that of your bride to be." Zarkon said with a smug, gloating tone._

_"I said I would marry her." Lotor growled._

_"Still disobedient are you? Then perhaps I should drop this bitch to my pets after all." Zarkon warned._

_"All right! I will never again set foot on Arus. I will never again...I will never again...seek out princess Allura." Lotor said in a tone that seemed to relay his defeat. His father had won. Allura would never be his._

_"Say it louder Lotor. I want everyone in this room to hear it." Zarkon said without even a hint of mercy for his son's heartbreak._

_"I will never again set foot on Arus! I will never again seek Princess Allura! There, I said it!" Lotor barked angrily._

_"Forgive him my dear. He will get over his upset soon enough." Zarkon said to princess Coralle as she stood beside his throne._

_"Let her go father! I will do as you ask, now let her go!" Lotor demanded._

_"Get her down. Put her in a holding cell until after the wedding." Zarkon ordered._

_"You said you would let her go!" Lotor raged._

_"Watch your tongue boy. I said I would let her go, but I did not say when. After you've been properly wed to princess Coralle then I may consider releasing her...after I've had my fun with her." Zarkon said with a menacing smile._

_"You bastard! You harm her, and the wedding is off!" Lotor roared._

_Zarkon's face took upon it an expression of malice. "You dare threaten me boy. Remember I still hold Allura's life in my hands! I can still drop her to the robeasts you know!" _

_"And then you will lose your only son." Lotor said with a devilish smile of his own. He reached onto his utility belt and took from it what appeared to be a detonator. In his other hand he produced a vial of a clear liquid with a tiny metallic device floating within it. He took the cork between his teeth and clamped down removing it from the vial. Then he proceeded to swallow the liquid and the chip all in one swallow._

_"What the hell are you doing Lotor?" Zarkon demanded._

_"It's very simple. You will release Allura, or you will watch your only son and heir die." Lotor threatened._

_"You've lost your mind! You won't kill yourself over some stupid girl! I know you too well!" Zarkon retorted._

_"You think I'm bluffing father? Oh but I'm not. I've just ingested a microchip that when activated...will stop my heart.. If I push this button, then I will die. You're going to force me into a marriage I don't want, then I'm going to force you to give me what I demand. And I demand that you set Allura free...now." Lotor warned._

_"You think I'd believe you? This is just some stupid game of yours to avoid marrying Coralle." Zarkon said in a disbeliving tone._

_"You think so father? Then perhaps you can persuade Coralle to give you an heir to replace the one you're about to lose!" Lotor yelled and prepared to push the detonator's button_

_"Sire! Please don't do this! She's not worth it!" One of the royal advisors pled._

_"He's not going to die...yet. He's just doing this to gain the upper hand." Zarkon shouted._

_"King Zarkon, you cannot take that chance! He is your only heir, and you know full well you are not capable of producing a replacement!" Another advisor yelled._

_Zarkon growled angrily at his son who kept his hand firmly upon the detonator. "Time is wasting father. Do you release Allura, or do you bury your only heir? Now you chose." Lotor said with a viperous smile. _

_"Get the bitch down!" Zarkon barked angrily. As much as he hated to admit it, his son had the upper hand now. Though he did not like being defeated, the king could not afford to leave his throne heirless. He begrudged his concession, but would be sure to make his son pay for it later. When heirs were produced, he would put his insulent son in his place once and for all._

_Lotor watched cautiously as Allura was lowered and brought level to the floor with the pit behind her. She was weak and hardly able to stand. Guards had to hold her up so that she did not fall to the floor. Lotor kept his thumb on the detonator's button. Any false moves and they'd be picking up his corpse along with Allura's. He would see to it that Allura was set free. But he also knew that he would have to honor his word to his father. He would never see Allura again. He watched as she was taken from the pit so she would no longer be in danger._

_"Her lion is still in the hanger. See that she's taken to it safely and allowed to leave." Lotor ordered._

_"Let her leave? You are actually ordering me to let her go!" Zarkon snapped._

_"Careful father...do you want a wedding or a funeral?" Lotor warned in a dangerous tone._

_"You push me too far Lotor!" Zarkon protested._

_"No further than you have pushed me. Now see that she's given the key to her lion." The prince ordered._

_None could believe what they were hearing...least of all Allura. She herself could hardly believe the lengths that Lotor was going to in order to save her life. She could not believe that he would threaten his own existence in order to see to it she left Doom safely._

_"Mogor...give her the key." Zarkon commanded begrudgingly._

_"But sire..."_

_"Give her the damned key before I take your head!" Zarkon roared._

_"Yes my king." Mogor answered obediently and approached Allura. Now able to stand on her own, she looked on in shock as Mogor extended his hand with the key in his outstretched palm._

_"Get out of my sight! The next time I see you, heir or no heir, it will be the last time!" Zarkon raged._

_Allura looked down at the key in her hand. Was she dreaming? Was she really being set free? And could she believe that it was Lotor who had made the way for her flight to freedom? She walked up to Lotor with a stunned look on her face. He looked at her, and his fiercesome expression softened. He knew in all likely hood it would be the last time he ever gazed upon her flawless beauty ever again. _

_"Go Allura. Go back to your home. I know this doesn't begin to make up for all the pain I've caused you, but it's all that I can do. Goodbye Allura. You will never see me again." Lotor said as his voice became very soft and his expression sad._

_Allura in turn felt sadness welling up within her. For all the pain he had caused her, in this one moment she realized that what he felt for her was indeed love. And it was because of that love that he would forego his desire to be with her. He was giving up his dream of ruling with her by his side. He had given up his right to her. He would enter a loveless marriage only to save her life. She felt pity for him. Something she never really thought she could feel, pity for this terrible man who had caused her so much pain. She felt her heart breaking for him._

_"Go Allura. Please...just go. I will make sure you're escorted safely out of Druel territory." Lotor said as guards approached the princess._

_"I entrust the life of this woman with you. Should any harm befall her, it will be your heads I'll throw into the pit of skulls, understood?" Lotor said with a growl._

_"Yes sire." The guards acknowledged and led Allura away from the throne room. _

_Zarkon watched with anger as Allura was led from the throneroom to the hanger where her blue lion awaited her. Lotor felt a small sense of satisfaction knowing that while he would have to give into his father's demands, he too had also forced his father to give into his. What he said next was sure to enflame Zarkon's already raging fury even further. _

_"I want her escorted safely through the empire's territories. I want her to leave Denubian airspace without harm. I want soldiers following her until she reaches the diamond galaxy." Lotor demanded._

_"WHAT! You have the nerve to request I use my own military to give that wench safe passage!" Zarkon thundered._

_"It is not a request father. If Allura does not reach Arus safely then you will be burying me instead of marrying me off to Coralle. I am keeping this detonator with me until I know that Allura is safe. And any attempts to take it from me will only hasten my demise. And you don't want that now do you father?" Lotor said with almost a mocking and sarcastic tone._

_"Fine! She'll have a small unit to escort her but nothing more!" Zarkon shouted._

_"And you will make sure that no one fire upon her won't you father? I don't want any of our allies thinking they can use the blue lion for target practice." Lotor chided._

_"Damnit boy! You can't hold onto that thing forever, and the moment you let go of it..." _

_"Ah ah ah father. You would be wise not to plot my untimely death until after my bride has given me heirs." Lotor said with an arrogant chuckle._

_"You'd better pray I do not live long whelp. Because when those heirs are born, I will see to it personally that I stop your wretched heart from beating with my bear hands!" Zarkon threatened._

_Lotor only smirked at the threat. Zarkon, while his rage was no less potent, his body was growing more feeble and weak with the passage of time. He knew the old king wouldn't live forever. And when Zarkon died, he would go to his grave knowing he gave up the most valuable hostage he'd ever had just to save his claim to the throne. This was the only comfort Lotor would have. _

_"When I have been informed of Allura's safe arrival into Arusian airspace, I will lock the detonator away. Then I shall marry Coralle. Until then, you can consider us engaged father. Don't dare try to harm Allura while she leaves the empire. You know what will happen if you do." Lotor said and turned to leave the throne room. Zarkon sat on his throne fuming and cursing. It was a sweet sound to the young prince's ears to hear his father complaining of his defeat._

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It took a few days for Allura to make her way back to Arus. Word was sent throughout the empire not to harm her in anyway. Lotor made sure his father knew that the detonator stayed with him at all times until he heard word of Allura's safe arrival on Arus. He kept his distance from his father during those days. Lotor chose to spend his last remaining days as a bachelor in the seclusion of his quarters. He wanted to see no one and wanted to be bothered by no one. He did not even visit his harem. A guard came to his room informing him of the news that Allura was safely back on Arus. With a heavy sigh, Lotor dismissed the guard and made his way to the throne room.

His steps were heavy as he walked into the throne room. Zarkon sat upon the throne with an impatient look on his face. Lotor felt both relief and sorrow at the occassion. He was glad that Allura was back on Arus and safe. But also knew that now he had to make good on his promise to marry Coralle. And he also knew that Arus would not be safe from further attacks by Doom. He could only hope that Allura's friends and guardians would keep her safe. He never imagined that the very enemies he despised were now the very men he placed hope upon for keeping Allura out of harm's way. He approached and kneeled before his father.

"You are to be informed that your precious little princess has arrived safely upon her wretched planet." Zarkon growled.

"Very well. I will lock this device away so it will be rendered harmless." Lotor said with a defeated tone.

"You'll hand it over to me." Zarkon ordered.

"I think not. This detonator stays out of your hands. It will be locked securely away and never used again. You have my word. I will marry Coralle as soon as you wish." Lotor replied calmly.

"You try my patience. You think I'm going to trust you with that thing." Zarkon hissed.

"You're just going to have to take me at my word, because I most certainly will not trust you or anyone else with it. You will get what you want father. Coralle will be my bride and she will give me heirs to the throne. And for now you'll just have to be satisfied with that. Now if you've no further need of me, I would like to return to my chambers." The prince said calmly.

"The wedding will be tomorrow night. Now get out of my site before I have you shot." Zarkon growled dangerously.

Lotor said nothing in return. He got to his feet, turned away from his father and left the throne room. He kept his emotions in check, but let his steps increase in speed. The reality of his situation was now hitting him, and he didn't want anyone seeing the melt down that would be fourth coming. He quickly reached his room and rushed inside. He took the detonator and locked it in safe. Once he punched in the combination that he and only he knew, he opened a secret compartment built into the wall. After shoving the safe into the compartment, he closed it up so that no one would know the location of the safe.

With the detonator safely hidden from view, Lotor then proceeded to let his fury explode from within him. He began to tear up his room. Anything he could get his hands on was ripped from the walls or hoisted from the floor and flung as far as he could throw it. A mirror was shattered by a small bedtable he'd flung. He kicked and punched the walls, uprooted furniture that was far too heavy for a mere mortal to lift. In his rage he flipped his bed over causing the sheets and pillows to briefly fly and then were smashed by the tumbling bedframe. Guards and servants alike could hear the inhuman screams and roars eminating from Lotor's bedroom. They dared not enter lest they become part of the carnage.

After a time the breakdown began to slow the prince down. His fury began to dull as the reality of his situation set in. He had lost his beloved princess. He had given her up to save her life. He fell to his knees, his whole body shaking. His father would have be mortified to see him shaking and breathing heavily. He lowered his head and buried his face in his hands. His fingers forcefully clutched at his hair bringing his normally slicked back bangs down across his face. He rocked back and fourth as if trying to bring some sort of comfort to himself, but knew from now on there would be none. He looked up, his bangs now tousled and hanging down over his face. He let out one last wail of despair and then was silent.

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Lotor woke suddenly from his mental journey. He felt something rolling down his cheek. He lifted his hand to his face and felt something wet against his skin. He looked at his finger and saw the glistening remains of the tear that had fallen from his right eye. He stared at the smeared drop for a moment and then wiped it off on his tunic. He had kept his word to his father. He married Coralle once he learned Allura had reached Arus safely. He also kept his word never again to set foot on Arus nor did he seek Allura ever again. He had given up his dreams all for her sake. That she was safe was the only thing he did not regret. He would not have been able to live with himself if she died because of him. He wouldn't have been able to bear it if she'd died at all. He loved her far too much to let that happen.

Though he'd kept his word to marry Coralle and procure heirs for the throne, he never promised to love the woman. And love her he did not. He found no joy in being around Coralle. And she found no joy in being with him either. It had never been love that bound them together. It was simply a business arrangment, nothing more. It was perhaps the first time Lotor found no joy in bedding a woman. They'd only slept together enough to bring one child into the dark world of Doom. And once that child had been produced, Lotor found absolutely no reason to want to bed his wife. She was selfish and vain. No matter what he did to satisfy her, it was never enough. She wanted the finest clothes, the most expensive of material possessions. Only the most exotic wines and foods satsified her hunger and thirst. And when it came to the bedroom, that became the least enjoyable of places to be. The two were cold toward each other in bed. Sex was hardly satisfying at all for either of them. It wasn't a pleasure to be enjoyed, merely an act to procure an heir.

He was suprised the marriage lasted as long as it did. Coralle had stayed as his queen for five years. She tolerated being his bride so she could get all the power and wealth that she felt befit her status, but being faced with the responcibilities of being both a ruler and a mother, she was no longer happy to be queen of Doom. Of course the scandels didn't help either. Word had spread throughout the kingdom that Coralle was seen cavorting with nobles from other planets. She would be seen wearing tokens of their affections openly though she kept the guise that they had all been gifts from her husband. Many knew better, but dared not to say anything against their king. Knowing his dangerous temper, they valued their lives more than they did approaching him with idle gossip. No matter how truthful it might have been, they held their tongues.

He honestly didn't care if the woman was having affairs. It spared him the trouble of having to bed her night after night. Many would have assumed that he would have gone to find solace in the arms of other women, but he did not. He had promised to be a faithful husband despite the fact that his bride did not honor her vow of fidelity. They spent very little time together. After the wedding they were seen only at public events, and after the birth of their son Tirrien, they were seen seperately. Chatter spread throughout the kingdom that the two were living seperate lives. And then the day came when Coralle demanded a divorce. Lotor certainly wasn't going to deny her that request. He knew deep down he wanted it as much as she did, and so he granted her an end to their marriage.

She left him and returned to Demos. Of course, the blame was put squarely upon the king for the marriage falling apart. Coralle cited infidelity as reasons for divorce. Nevermind that she had been with who knows how many men, and Lotor had stayed celebate for the sake of the marriage. In a way, it was true. He was always thinking of Allura when he was with Coralle. It was the only way he could tolerate the times he actually bedded the woman. He many times wished it was Allura that he lay with instead of his wife. How could he say he wasn't guilty when he knew deep down he was, even if it was only in his mind. Nevertheless, he was glad that the marriage ended.

The one thing he regretted about the marriage ending was the fact that his son was now left without a mother. Coralle had absolutely no interest in her son. She saw him as a nusisance and did not give him any affection at all. If he came to her wanting to be held or cuddled, she viciously shirked him away. That did not set well with Lotor. While he never could have imagined himself being a doting father toward children, he found himself quite softened once Tirrien came into the world. The couple often got into harsh arguments over Coralle's behavior toward Tirrien. But more than that, Lotor remembered what kind of father he'd grown up with. He didn't want to be the same kind of father to Terrien that his own father was to him.

After the divorce, he did seek comfort in the arms of a slave girl for a short time. That too did not last. He knew he did not love her, and she was only a means of chasing away loneliness and trying once more to get Allura out of his mind. A daughter was born of the brief union. The day his second child came into the world was a bitter sweet moment. While the baby girl he named Kara was born healthy, her mother suffered severe complications and died soon after Kara was born. He felt sorrow that a woman had died to give birth to his child, but did not overly mourn her death. She was after all a slave girl, and did not warrant too much grief. The only comfort he could take was that she had been at least willing to come to his bed.

He could still remember the moment he first looked into his daughters eyes and how much he realized he had truly softened. He was as protective of baby Kara as he was of Tirrien. He remembered how she first looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes and smiled. He swore he would protect both his children from the harshness that would be their lives as best he could. Tirrien would be seen as Lotor's only legal and legitmate heir to the throne. Kara would hardly even be acknowledged as alive, let alone be in line to inherit the crown. She was the child of a slave. What value did she possibly have?

Her father, on the other hand made sure she would not be treated like a piece of slave trash. Any one who dared to even think of harming Kara would be met with by an angry and vengeful father. He would treat her like the princess he felt she was. He promised to give her all the love and care he could possibly give her as she had been robbed of her mother. He would give all he could to both she and Tirrien.

Kara seemed very happy to be with her father. It did not seem to affect her that she had lost her mother as she did not even know who her mother was. In some ways he was greatful that his second child had been born of a slave girl instead of his former wife and queen, Coralle. At least the girl he bedded harbored no ill toward him despite the fact that she was only seen as his property. Her gentle nature had passed onto her daughter. Kara often reached out her arms and cooed and babbled insistently when she could sense her father was near. He knew her life would not always be so happy. Doom was not a friendly place, and she would no doubt encounter hostility as she grew up. But damned if Lotor would let her suffer from it. He would make her life as happy as was possible on such a dark and dreadful world.

His son, on the other hand was just sullen and silent. Because of the chaos within the marriage the boy had developed emotional and behavoiral problems. Tirrien did not speak much to people, let alone his father. He often kept to himself and became easily annoyed if anyone tried to coax him into speaking. He would become frustrated for no reason and begin having violent tantrums at times. So violent that at the worst of times, not even his own father could handle him. Lotor wasn't suprised. He was no different growing up. He was pretty sure that it was because his mother abandoned him. It was the same with Lotor himself. While his mother had loved him, his father did not allow that love to be properly fostered. His mother had been taken from him and he grew up angry and bitter. His father had done nothing to foster anything positive in him other than the need to survive at all costs. He swore he would not let that same fate come to his children. He was glad that Zarkon had died when the children were both very young. Neither of them rememebing or wanting to know about their grandfather.

"Well father, you got your revenge...you heartless bastard." Lotor growled under his breath.

It was his father's final act of spite. He got to pass away peacefully in his sleep, robbing his son of any chance to personally dethrone him. He'd robbed Lotor of everything he held dear. But when he thought about it, the only thing that truly hurt him the most was being robbed of a life with Allura. He looked up at the large digital clock on the wall. The hour was very late, and he found himself growing more exhausted by the moment. He knew he needed to get rest, though it never did him much good. He hardly slept well at all.

He got up from his desk feeling the aches in his body from where he'd sat down too long in one position. He rubbed his shoulders and back and then headed toward the door. As he exited his study he walked by the children's room. Since they were still very young they shared one room, though Tirrien, his oldest child and son, was expressing more interest and need to have a room of his own. Tirrien was nine. Kara was four. She had her white hair and piercing green eyes. His son had his mother's red hair, but his father's yellow cat like orbs. His red hair was also streaked with tinges of white inherited from his father. Both of them had blue skin, though their color was a bit paler than that of their father.

He silently walked in trying not to make any noise so the sleeping children would not wake. They seemed to find some peace during sleep and he didn't want to rob them of that. He looked at Tirrien and then at Kara. She was a beautiful little girl even at the age of four. At least he had that to be proud of. He quietly walked over to where Kara slept and placed a gentle, fatherly kiss upon one of her chubby little cheeks. He felt both pride and sadness well inside of him.

"They should have been yours, Allura. You would have been a loving mother to them." He said silently to himself.

Not realizing it, his whispers had been loud enough to rouse his daughter from her sleep. She opened her big green eyes to Lotor's suprise.

"Dada..." she said in a tiny voice. "Why are you sad dada?" She asked.

"It's nothing my little one. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Lotor said apologetically.

"Did I do something wrong?" The little girl asked with a worried tone.

"No, of course not. You can do no wrong in my eyes. You're my most precious treasures, you and Tirrien both. Shhhh, go back to sleep my little angel. I'll see you in the morning." Lotor said tucking his little daughter back into her bed. She snuck in a small kiss on his nose as he bent over to fluff her pillow. He smiled softly at her and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"Night dada." She said as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

"Good night my little ones."

Lotor left the children's room before he accidentally woke up Tirrien. He closed the door and propped himself against the wall. "Damnit...they should have been Allura's children. She would have loved them more than her own life. They deserve better than this." He said with a begrudging sigh as he returned to his bedroom.

The walk there was slow and seemed to drain the king of his energy with every step. He didn't look foward to returning to an empty bed, but hadn't really enjoyed it when his wife was sleeping in it either. Her back was always turned to him, never once inviting him into bed unless it was to get something she wanted out of him. That bed had always felt cold, and now it just seemed to get colder now that it was empty. With a resigned sigh he took off his clothes and slipped into bed.

_I have to admit that it's not just enjoyment for which I write this story. After reading some of Prince Lotorsincline's work, I was inspired to make some of my original characters based on people I know and events that happened in my life. Some of which were not happy ones. The events in this story mirror things that happend in my life, but are greatly exagerated for the sake of the story.I guess you could say this story is a kind of therapy for me to help reconcile some baggage that I've carried with me for a long time. This is a work in progress that I'd intended to be just a series of drabbles, but after I started to write the second part I realized that this may grow into a much longer story. But how long I'm not quite sure. I guess we'll see how far it goes as I work on it. And for fans of Redemption and Destiny, don't worry. I'll hopefully be getting chapter thirty ready to post sometime in the near future. _

_Christine (The Dark Rose Maiden)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**First off, the legal stuff. I do not own Voltron or its characters. Those are property of WEP(World Event Productions) and Toei Animation. My original characters(Tirrien, Kara, Elizabeth, and Eric and Vora) are from my imagination and are mine. No profit is made from this. This is strictly fanfiction. I do this for fun and to share my work with other Voltron fans.**_

Part 2: Broken Illusion

Allura sat inside her bedroom looking outside her bay window. The sky was clear and blue with the sun shining brightly upon the land. But in her heart, it might as well have been storming. It had been ten years since her escape from planet Doom. She was queen of Arus and had been for several years. While she knew that Lotor had bought her a chance to return to Arus, that did not end the attacks from his father. At least until she had heard news of Zarkon's death. She remembered the day an envoy from planet Doom had been sent to Arus upon command from Lotor, now king. At first she had feared the coming of any agent of planet Doom. She thought perhaps Lotor had finally overcome his fascination with her and sought again to make Arus an aquisition of the empire. She was shocked when the envoy informed her that was not the case.

##################################################

_"Queen Allura, there is a small ship approaching on the horizon. It looks to be one of Doom's ships." Coran stated worriedly._

_"Let's get to the lions team. In case it's more trouble from Zarkon, we'll be ready for em." Keith ordered._

_"Keith, wait. That doesn't appear to be a war ship. It doesn't appear to have any weapons, and it looks too small to carry a robeast." Allura interjected._

_"That's never stopped Zarkon before. This could just be a diversion to throw us off." Lance replied._

_"Still, let's not fire upon them until we know their intentions." Allura said._

_Coran opened a transmission with the Doom ship. "This is prime minster of Coran of planet Arus. I speak on behalf of queen Allura. Identify yourselves and reveal your intentions." Coran ordered._

_"Let's stand by the lion shoots just in case." Keith said to Lance in a hushed whisper._

_For a moment there was silence from the Doom ship, then a female voice suddenly spoke._

_"I am Vora, an envoy sent upon behalf of King Lotor of planet Doom." _

_"King Lotor? That means..."_

_"Because of the hostilities between our worlds he did not feel it wise to share this news in person. Therefore, I have been sent on his behalf to speak of ceasing hostiltities between our planets. King Zarkon has recently passed, and the new king does not wish any more war and bloodshed between Doom and Arus. Our king wishes there to be peace between our worlds." Vora stated._

_"Zarkon's dead and Lotor is king now." Allura said silently. _

_"I have documents that detail the truce our king hopes to have with planet Arus. If my ship may be permitted to land, you will be given the chance to read the documents. His majesty hopes that the conditions will be satisfactory to the queen and eliminate any future conflicts between Doom and Arus." Vora announced._

_"Allura, are you sure you want to do this? I mean... can you really trust him?" Keith asked._

_"He set me free. Remember that my life was in his hands. He could have let me die and refused to marry princess Coralle. But he didn't. He forced his own father to release me by threatening his own life. Zarkon is dead now. If it means there is hope for peace on Arus for my people, I have to at least give this a chance." Allura answered firmly._

_"Well, all right. But we're gonna be there with you just in case this is a trick. Nanny can stay with Elizabeth while we see if this truce really is a truce." Keith replied._

_"Very well. Coran, have Nanny stay in the nursery with Elizabeth." Allura requested. _

_"As you wish your majesty." Coran answered with a bow._

_"Envoy Vora, you will be given permission to land. No hostility will be taken against you as long as none is taken against my people." Allura said._

_"I assure you queen Allura, we are unarmed and come with peaceful intentions. We will land within the hour." Vora replied._

_"Very well. I will be waiting for you at the entrance to the castle." Allura said._

_Allura stood surrounded by her friends awaiting the arrival of Doom's envoy. The small black ship slowly landed a distance from the castle of Lions. A druel woman exited the small cruiser and formally strolled down the ramp toward Allura. Along with her were two guards carrying two small chests. The woman carried an ornate folder tucked under her left arm. She stopped several feet away from Allura and bowed respectfully._

_"Queen Allura of Arus, I am Vora. I am the personal advisor to his majesty, King Lotor of planet Doom. As you are now aware the new king has expressed wishes that hostilities between Doom and Arus be stopped. He is well aware that the battles his father Zarkon perpetrated upon you and your people have been costly. He commanded that wealth from his own personal coffers be sent to Arus. He hopes that this will begin to compensate you for the losses your people have suffered over the many years of battle against King Zarkon. These chests are but a sample of what has been brought. More is waiting upon our vessle to be unloaded." Vora explained._

_"Your king truly wishes for there to be peace between Doom and Arus?" Allura asked with a skeptical tone._

_"He has your majesty. Ever since the death of his father, he has made that his first and most important priority since assuming the throne. He had expressed a desire to do this himself, but felt that because of the history between our worlds, it was wiser to assume a more diplomatic than personal approach. I have in my possession the necessary documents that will ensure a peaceful existence for your people." Vora said and gave the folder to the queen._

_"If I may be allowed a few moments to look over these documents and have them looked over by my advisor..."_

_"Of course. We will be waiting upon our vessle for your answer to his majesty's proposal." Vora said and gestured for the two guards to leave the chests behind. _

_As they watched the trio leave, Keith scratched his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Well, let's go inspect those chests. I want to make sure they aren't booby trapped or something." _

_"Good idea. Let's get a look at those babies and see what's in there." Lance said as he followed Keith to examine the chests. They approached the boxes cautiously and found keys hanging from the gold handles. _

_"Wow, these chests alone look like they're worth a fortune." Lance commented as he took one key in his hand. Carefully he inserted the key into the hole and turned it. Slowly he lifted up the lid. His eyes widened at the wealth carefully placed inside._

_"Damn! Look at all this gold!" He exclaimed._

_"Well, it looks like they're both harmless. There is a lot of gold in here." Keith said examining the contents of the chests._

_"This could buy a lot of food and medical supplies for people here. I just can't believe that...that Lotor sent this." Lance said still shocked at the treasures he and Keith beheld._

_A small distance away, Allura and Coran went over the conditions of the cease fire. To their amazement, none of the conditions they thought would be there were included. There was no mention of Arusian citizens having to swear allegiance to planet Doom or the Druel Empire. There was no demand made upon Allura to marry Lotor. The only true condition they had to contend with was they were not to interfer with Doom's affairs. While Lotor could not speak for the entire empire, he did however have control over what took place on Doom. Arus could not interfer with Doom in any way. And in return, Doom would not be allowed to attack Arus in any shape, form or fashion. Any who dared to harm Arus and its people, most certainly its queen, would be dealt with by Lotor himself._

_It was a tiny step toward peace, but a step none the less. And it was one that Allura most certainly could not refuse. She and Coran also noted that no more attempts to posess or destroy Arus's greatest defense, Voltron would be attempted. In the same right, Voltron would not be used to interfer in Doom's business. Any such attempt would be taken as an act of agression and would be met with force. _

_The two took almost an hour to over look the conditions of the agreement. They also noted that as a gesture of fostering good will between their worlds, some of the king's own personal wealth had been sent with the envoy. While it wasn't enough to truly compensate Allura and her people for all the loss and pain they had endured, it was most certainly a start. It would be enough to help the poorest of Arus start their lives over and hopefully prosper as well. _

_Coran and Allura looked at each other for a moment before nodding in agreement. They again met with Vora. _

_"My advisor and I have looked over these documents, and find the conditions to be satisfactory." Allura said in a formal tone._

_"Very well your majesty. The king will be pleased to know that there can be peace for our worlds now. The guard will unload the rest of the treasure promised to you and your people." Vora said with a bow._

_"The king...is he..is he well?" Allura asked._

_"His life is, complicated. But I will be sure to pass on your regards to him. When the ship has been unloaded, we shall return to planet Doom. Farewell queen Allura." _

##################################################

The formalities had been brief that day. Allura made sure Coran went over everything of the agreement before she signed it. She was rather suprised that the conditions were so few and uncomplicated. She supposed that his feelings for her were still strong, but also strong was his promise that he would not seek her again. She found herself hoping to see him again. She had secretly hoped that he would have been the one to bring the proposition of a truce to her personally. But she also supposed that seeing her again might have been too much for him as he had been forced to take another bride, and one that he did not love. She did not speak of such feelings to her friends. She certainly didn't speak of it to her husband Eric.

Of course, now she had no husdband to share those feelings with anyway. After the last battle with Zarkon, Eric had suddenly dissapeared. All she'd found of him was his wedding ring. He left no note or any warning that he was leaving. She scolded herself for being suprised. Their marriage had been a farce from the beginning. Nanny and Coran thought Eric would make a good husband for Allura. He was handsome and had a modest fortune from his parents. At first he'd seemed more than willing to be Allura's husband and protect her and her people. The courtship had been brief, only a few months. Nanny seemed all too ready for the wedding to take place. She wanted to see her baby girl wedded to a proper gentleman.

But after the honeymoon, Eric turned out to be anything but a proper gentleman. He turned out to be a two faced womanizer who cared more about himself than his wife and their coming child. In fact, when Allura made the announcment that she was expecting, Eric turned cold towards her. He refused to sleep with her and sought out other women as an outlet for his desires. There were whispers that he'd had liasons with castle maids and even noblewomen who visited the castle during social events.

And those women openly flaunted the gifts Eric gave them. What caused a real stir was the fact that several of those gifts had already been given...to Allura. To see the jewlery and accessories Eric had bestowed upon her on women she'd never met was enough of an insult. Nanny and Coran began to wonder if they had chosen the right man for Allura to wed. Things weren't made any better by the distrust and outright dislike Keith and the others had for Eric. They'd never trusted the guy, seeing him as nothing more than a poser. And they were right. He wanted the wealth and prestige that went with being Allura's consort. But he didn't want the responsibility of being an Arusian ruler, and certainly not making stands against the ruthless king Zarkon.

It was after a particularly ugly conflict that Eric decided he wanted nothing more to do with Allura. That was the night he suddenly vanished. She was asleep when he took off his wedding ring, and then took everything that he felt belonged to him. He took the clothes he'd bought for her and the jewlery and expensive gifts and just left. No one bothered to stop him. Truth be told, Coran had actually hoped that Eric would just leave. He was making a mockery of his marriage to Allura by openly flirting with every attractive woman he came into contact with. When there were battles, he was no where to be found. The man had proven to be a cheat and a coward.

Elizabeth was still a baby when Eric left. She had no real memory of her father. Allura was glad for that. She hoped Elizabeth would not suffer as her mother did. Allura was left to wonder what she had done wrong. Had she been such a terrible wife that her husband would just up and abandon her when she needed him most. Of course, Keith and the other members of the Voltron force quickly stepped in to help raise Elizabeth. From the moment she had been born, they all became her uncles as Allura had always thought of them as the brothers she'd never had.

Elizabeth was Allura's one true joy that came from her marriage. But even that joy was tainted. From the moment Elizabeth turned two, her mother realized something was different about her daughter. Elizabeth was slow to begin speaking, despite the fact that her five uncles talked to her constantly and taught her to say different words. For a while, the child remained silent. She behaved as if she could not hear anything at all. Her mother feared that perhaps the child was deaf. Yet at times when Allura said her name, she would react quite normally by cooing and smiling.

But among strangers, even among Coran and Nanny, she was very withdrawn. She never appeared sad or distressed. She just seemed to be in a completely different zone other than the one that was around her. And as time went on, the condition did not improve. Many tests were run and none of the doctors, even Doctor Gorma could seem to pin point what was going on with her. It was naturally assumed that some how Eric's abandonment had done something to traumatize Elizabeth mentally and emotionally. That was why she seemed to withdraw. But it went beyond emotion. She seemed to excell at seemingly advanced things that anyone her age could not possibly understand. She would watch Pidge tinkering with machines and computers. And to everyone's amazement, when Pidge allowed her to do the same with an old device that they thought had been rendered useless, Elizabeth, after studying it intensely and mimicking all the things that Pidge had done, managed to make the thing work even if for a short time.

But not everything was happy and perfect for Elizabeth. The team, and more importantly her mother, noticed that a change in her daily routine brought out severe crying fits in the child, sometimes to the point where she would begin to hit herself violently. Certain sights and sounds were traumatic to the child making her scream in terror. And even more puzzling, she would stare into what seemed to be just a blank wall for hours at a time. She was utterly fascinated while those who loved her were confused and concerned.

Every concievable test had been run, but nothing abnormal could be found in her blood or her brain. Her organs all functioned normally and she was as healthy as a child her age could be. It was a constant source of worry to Allura not being able to figure out what was wrong with her child. It continued to be a source of worry until specialists from Earth were deployed to Arus to examine the child. It was then Allura learned that Elizabeth suffered from a neuralogical disorder called autism. What it was exactly, the specailists did not know. They also didn't know what caused it. The disorder had been examined for decades but still a concrete answer had not been found for its cause.

While there was nothing available to cure or treat the condition, it was still possible for Elizabeth to live a somewhat normal life. She could still learn and recieve an education, though she needed special attention because of her disorder. Everyone also noticed Elizabeth did not function well with crowds or other children. She often remained in her own little world while the other children played with each other, sharing toys and playing games. When some children picked on her or teased her, the teacher would often scold them. But she also made them understand that just because their classmate was different, it did not mean she deserved to be teased. She could not help how she had been born.

And Allura loved her daughter no less because of her condition, but loved her more. This was her only child. She wished Eric had stayed and tried to make the marriage work, but realized that could have worsened Elizabeth's condition to see her parents fight all the time. Allura accepted Eric's departure as a blessing in disguise. Of course, she didn't doubt that should he ever try to come back, there would be five very protective uncles ready to put his head up his backside among other things.

Still, Allura could not help but wonder why things had gone wrong. A husband who abandoned her in her hour of need, and she had a child who was not normal. It was at that moment she thought about the one man she never imagined giving second thought to ever again. She thought of Lotor. Sometimes it still astounded and shocked her that he had been willing to give up his own life if his father did not let her go. She'd always known him to be selfish and uncaring of the needs of others. Sometimes she wondered if the only reason why he didn't want his father messing with her was because of how much he wanted her for himself. But if that had been the case, he'd have thrown a fit and then got over it. No, it wasn't mere selfishness that made him do what he did. He knew Allura would have suffered at Zarkon's hands. She shuddered to think of the humiliations and tortures she would have endured had Zarkon gotten his way.

In the end she realized Lotor was protecting her. He sacrificed his own desires so that she could live. And not only did he demand Zarkon not harm her, he also demanded she be released to return to Arus. She learned that day that perhaps the selfish and spoiled druel prince did indeed have a heart, and it belonged to her. Allura looked down at the ground as she felt her eyes well up with tears. She wondered what Lotor would have done if he found out about Eric abandoning her and Elizabeth. She could only imagine what he would have done, and none of what she imagined was pretty.

"Could I really have learned to love him as he said I would?" She asked herself.

With a depressed sigh she looked up and sternly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. She didn't want Elizabeth to see her crying. The child was nine years old now. And while she might not have been able to process the situation as Allura did, the queen had no doubt that seeing her mother upset would most certainly upset her.

"Would he have loved her the way Eric didn't? Would he have stayed and loved us both as he swore he would?" She asked herself again.

"What does it matter now? He's married."

_And the second chapter sees that Allura's life has not been picture perfect either. Even though Lotor married Coralle, Allura's friends and caregivers felt it best to marry her off so he wouldn't get any ideas. But Eric turned out to be less than a perfect husband. And while he's out of the picture for now, he may not be gone completely. He may pop back up in later chapters of the story. Chapter one and two are setting up what will happen in the rest of the story. Though the details are brief and to the point, more and more of what happened in the lives of both Lotor and Allura will be revealed in later chapters. Chapter three will pick up in present time and go forward from there. _

_Christine (The Dark Rose Maiden)_


	3. Chapter 3

_**First off, the legal stuff. I do not own Voltron or its characters. Those are property of WEP(World Event Productions) and Toei Animation. My original characters(Tirrien, Kara, Elizabeth, and Eric and Vora) are from my imagination and are mine. No profit is made from this. This is strictly fanfiction. I do this for fun and to share my work with other Voltron fans.**_

Part 3

It was dark and bleak as it always was on planet Doom. Lotor stood inside the arena watching his son Tirrien. Under pressure from the war masters he began the boy's education of the sword. But he made sure that lengths were taken so that Tirrien was not overtly harmed. Wooden replicas were used in place of real swords. It would be a while before his son would even pick up a steel blade let alone one made from lazon. Of course, the masters did not agree with this reasoning. They felt the sooner the boy learned to fight with a real sword, the better a swordsman he would become.

Tirrien stood in defensive stance trying to concentrate upon what was being told to him. He found it hard to do seeing as the instructors spoke fast and often not giving the boy a chance to truly focus upon every word. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to take in the instructions. His concentration was abruptly halted when one of the instructors began to shout at him.

"Listen to what you're being told boy!" The teacher barked.

Lotor's eyes narrowed. He didn't appreciate the way the masters yelled at Tirrien. He knew his son was trying, but the tudors certainly did not make it easy. It was something he remembered himself all too well. Except that his own father usually joined in on the scolding. The masters certainly didn't have a problem with Lotor overseeing Tirrien's education. Zarkon himself oversaw Lotor's training, but didn't stand idly by. The instructors thought Lotor was too easy on his son. He didn't scold or reprimand him as Zarkon would have.

"Now execute the manuver I just explained." The teacher ordered.

Tirren took the wooden sword and began moving foward swinging it over his head. He tried not to show fear, but he was noticably nervous. The masters were very intimidating, and even more intimidating was the fact that his father was there. He didn't want to dissapoint him. His hands shook as he tried to steady the sword as he wielded it. His nostrils flared wildly and his eyes were wide. But it was not the expression the masters were hoping for. The boy was showing hesitation as he moved, and his body was rigid as he did so.

"You're stiff as a board! Loosen your stance! How many times must you be told this!" Another instructor reprimanded harshly.

Tirrien tried to relax, but the pressure on him only became worse. Many times the masters spoke of his father's skill with the sword and how Tirrien would be expected to match if not excell past his father's expertise. But at the moment, the boy's heart wasn't in it. He secretly hid many things from his father. The emotional baggage that weighed on the boy's heart hindered his ability to perform the task at hand. He could help but want to know why his mother was never there for him. Why had she not asked about him since leaving? Why did she leave him in the first place.

He became so distracted that he stumbled and fell to the ground. The wooden blade bounced from his hand upon hitting the dirt of the arena floor. The teachers looked at the boy with nothing but disdain.

"How incompetent can you be boy!" One of the oldest teachers shouted.

"That's enough." Lotor warned in a serious tone.

"How will you ever hope to be as good as your father? You cannot even handle a wooden replica! You'll cut your own leg off if given a real sword!"

"I said that's enough." Lotor said in an even harsher tone.

"Sire, how can you stand by and do nothing? This boy can't even take the proper stance, let alone handle a wooden sword." Another instructor protested.

"He's nervous, and none of you are doing anything to ease his fears." Lotor stated firmly.

"But sire, how will he ever hope to become even half the sword master you are if he isn't driven? How will he survive a real battle if all he can do is stand and quiver?" The teacher demanded.

"Stop yelling at him, and talk to him. He requires patience." Lotor replied.

"Just pick up the damned thing, and do the manuver again." The teacher growled.

Tirrien was more than nervous now. He feared what would happen if he messed up anymore. He shakily got to his feet and picked up the wooden sword. His whole body trembled as the teachers looked dissaprovingly at him. Their eyes burned into him like red hot pokers all over his body. His heart began to race and his eyes were wide with fear. He tried to keep his hands from shaking, but the vibrations traveling through the sword gave away his anxiety.

"Don't just stand there! Do something!" One instructor shouted.

Tirrien tried to do as he was told, but his hands were now shaking violently. So violently that when he moved to swing the sword he accidentally let go of it. The weapon was flung through the air almost hitting one of the instructors in the head. Tirrien quaked with terror seeing the rage in the teacher's eyes.

"This boy is hopeless!" The offended tudor yelled.

"You idiotic whelp!" Another barked.

"Enough!" Lotor yelled marching toward Tirrien.

"Your majesty, do something! This boy will never learn if..."

"This lesson is over." Lotor snarled as he took his place beside his son.

The instructors stood absolutely stupified at Lotor's actions. They couldn't believe the king would end the lesson so abruptly when Tirrien needed so much instruction. They stood glaring at their king and the prince. "How can you end the lesson now? If he isn't driven he will never learn!"

"The only thing you're driving my son to is maddness. Look at him! He's terrified! How can you expect him to fight when he's in such a state!" Lotor barked.

"How can you defend him? He stands there like a snibling coward." One instructor growled.

Lotor's eyes began to glow with rage. The masters should have known better than to speak to their king in such a manner especially where it concerned his son. Lotor's temper was legendary and he illustrated it by unsheathing his sword. The instructors looked on nervously but did not offer any apologies for the belittling statement.

"You will hold your tongue! How dare you speak so of my son!" Lotor roared.

"Your father would never have coddled you in such a manner! You will ruin this boy! It's only fortunate that Zarkon is not alive to see the mess you're making of his grandson!" Another master yelled.

"GUARDS!" Lotor thundered.

Tirrien looked on in terror thinking he was about to see his own instructors executed before his very eyes. Within mere seconds a small unit of sentries rushed into the arena, swords drawn in case the king and prince were in trouble. "Your majesty?" One asked trying to catch his breath.

"Take this lot of insulent fools to the dungeons! Perhaps a few nights in the bowels of the castle will teach them some manners!" Lotor barked.

"My king! You cannot be serious! We are the boy's instructors!" One protested.

"Not anymore! From now on, I will oversee Tirrien's education myself. Now get them out of my sight!" Lotor ordered.

"Yes majesty!" The senior guard announced as he and his unit hearded the shocked instructors out of the arena.

Lotor stood still for a moment trying to regain his composure. His son stood beside him still trembling. "Calm yourself Tirrien." His father said firmly.

"They must understand that I am your father, and more than that, I am king. My word is law, and when that law is disobeyed there are consequences. Now come along. We're going back to the castle."

"Yes father." Tirrien said with a quiet and trembling voice.

"Head up son. You're a prince. Even when things don't go well, you must always present confidence to your subjects." Lotor replied.

"Yes father."

Later that day on Doom Lotor was in a meeting with his advisors, none of which were too happy with his latest stunt. They were none too pleased that he'd had Doom's war instructors thrown in the dungeons. The lot risked imprisonment themselves at what they said to the king.

"You could have just reprimanded them majesty. Those men have taught generations of Druel royalty, including yourself. The prince will not survive in battle if you continue to treat him the way you do. He must learn to grow a tough, thick skin in order to be the next ruler of Doom. Your throwing his teachers in the dungeons was far too harsh." One advisor chided.

"Personally, I thought I was rather generous. I wanted to behead them then and there and throw their carcassess into the pit of skulls. But I decided to be lienent, and let them live. Besides, perhaps less comfortable accomodations will remind them of how good they have it. In any case, they will no longer be teaching my son. I will personally oversee Tirrien's education of the sword." Lotor retorted.

"King Lotor, consider the impact your behavoir will have upon the prince. You've been far too soft on him. How do you expect him to be the ruthless druel he needs to be if he does not learn the harshness of life now?" Another advisor asked.

"For now he is a child. I will not have him robbed of his childhood the way I was mine. It's not bad enough that I was forced into a loveless marriage with his mother. It was worse that she wanted nothing to do with him save to push him away. Then she leaves and never gives her own child another thought. He's already had so much taken from him. If I can give him even the smallest bit of happiness while he's a child, then I intend to see that he has it." Lotor said sternly.

"Majesty, listen to yourself. You were never like this before. When you returned from your campaign of conquest you were the kind of druel we needed to rule Doom. Then you went to Arus and..."

"Do NOT bring her into this. I went to Arus of my own accord. I...I cannot help whom I lost my heart to. Do not blame her for my actions since that day." Lotor growled.

"My king, she has clouded your judgement. Even after you married Coralle, the princess of Arus still taints your mind. Even going so far as to grant Coralle a divorce when we needed the alliance with Demos. Now you allow your judgement to be clouded when it comes to the prince. Majesty, think of how your actions have been affecting the rest of the kingdom. To say the least, you're not as very well liked as you once were among Doom's elite. The other territories in the empire also agree that you are not thinking clearly."

"I am not out to win popularity contests. I will do what I feel is best for my kingdom." Lotor protested.

"Majesty, that's just the point. Your actions are not what is best for the empire. You allow a divorce with Coralle and thus severing our ties with Demos. Then you call for a cease fire with planet Arus. Have you not forgotten that they have been a thorn in Doom's side for years? And that they hold what has been the empire's greatest threat, Voltron?"

"Arus has worked in accordance with the cease fire I constructed. As long as Doom does not interfere with Arus, Arus will not interfere with Doom, and they have held to their word. They've been no trouble to Doom since." Lotor answered.

"With all due respect, the nobles are growing restless. They grow impatient with your tactics. We are beginning to have overpopulation problems once again. The empire needs to expand. And that expansion should begin with planet Arus."

"Planet Arus is to be left alone. I gave my word that there would be no further hostilities with that world, and I intend to keep my word. And if you so much as even think of bringing up what my father would have done I'll have the lot of you thrown into the arena for the robeasts to play with." Lotor growled dangerously.

"Then what are we to do? If not Arus, then what planet then?"

"Then perhaps we should start our search on the outer reaches of the Denubian galaxy. There have to be worlds out there that can house our people." Lotor said.

"That could take years!" One advisor protested.

"I told you that when I assumed the crown things were going to change. More worlds are being exploited and destroyed because of the old way of doing things. If something isn't done now, no amount of the universe will be able to house our people." Lotor replied.

"But wasn't that the goal? Has it not always been the destiny of the druel to have the universe. After all, we're the superior species here. Why should we not have control over all life? As I recall, that was your goal once as well."

"Things have changed. I...have changed. Continuous war will only destroy what we sought to dominate. I would go so far as to say that perhaps the slave population needs to be cut down." Lotor said.

"Cut down the slave population? Majesty, we need our slaves to keep the kingdom running! What will we do if we don't have our slave labor?"

"Hmph. And look at what it's done to the lot of you. Many of you grow fat and lazy. You depend upon others to do the simplest of things." Lotor growled.

"And you haven't? You of all people must agree that our lives are made far easier with the aquisition of slaves. What would you do without your harem to slake your lusts? What would you do without slaves to do all the back breaking labor of building your operational bases, tend to your guests? What would we do without the slaves who work in the lazon mines?"

"It all needs to change. We work slaves to death, then go out and conquor new worlds to find more. And then our men have their way with slave women leading to hundreds if not thousands of mouths we really can't afford to feed. We need to start treating our slaves more humanely so they can actually do all the work that we demand of them. And perhaps the men need to find other outlets for their carnal energies." Lotor answered.

"Many of the kingdoms aren't going to be to happy with what you're proposing."

"They'll learn to adjust. If they don't, then they will deal with me. And I won't be kind about it either. Now if you don't mind, I'm very tired and would like to retire for the evening. We will meet again in one week to discuss the changes I propose on making. You're dismissed." Lotor said wearily waving the advisors off. Grumbling to themselves, they left his office so he could at last be in peace.

Lotor turned and faced his desk leaning over and placing his hands flat on its wooden surface. "Hmph. To think at one time I actually wanted to rule the entire universe. I can hardly keep it together in my own kingdom let alone the universe. The other kingdoms aren't going to take kindly to what I'm proposing, but they'll live. They'll have to. And I thought it would be so easy being the king." He said to himself.

Straightening his stance, Lotor walked away from the desk and then exited his office. Carefully locking the door behind him, he headed toward his personal quarters. He walked slowly trying to push the tense meeting into the back of his mind. He didn't like having to go to his children tense and bothered. He'd already shown a sample of his temper to Tirrien after dealing with the boy's instructors. And that had bothered him all day. It shouldn't have, but nevertheless it did. Since becoming a father, he didn't like showing his dark side to his children. He had promised himself that he would not be the kind of father to his children that Zarkon had been to him. He would be different. If for no other reason, to spite the old man's memory. He let a half crooked smirk cross his lips thinking of how the old king would have been rolling in his grave.

Upon reaching his personal quarters, he took in a deep breath and exhaled before opening the door. He noticed that Kara, young as she was, was particularly sensitive to her father's moods. He didn't want to give her the impression that he was stressed. Lotor opened the door and walked into this private office. He briefly inspected the room to make sure everything was in order. After that, he went to see his children. Tirrien was on one side of the bedroom sitting on his bed lazily swinging his wooden sword with a scowl on his face. Kara was on the other side playing with soft cloth dolls some of the servant girls had made for her. She looked up to see her father walking into their room.

"Daddy!" She squealed happily as she ran from her bed to greet him. He caught her in mid skip hoisting her small body into his strong arms. Her happy smile suddenly turned serious when she saw his face. "You look tired daddy."

As he suspected, her sensitivity proved correct. "I've just had a long day little one. Being king keeps me very busy." He said hoping his words would quell her concern.

"Tirrien's grouchy." Kara said in her tiny voice.

"He had a bad day, that's all. His instructors were too hard on him." Lotor replied.

"I had a dream last night daddy!" Kara exclaimed becoming excited once again.

"Really, what did you dream about my angel?" Her father asked.

"I had a dream about a lady, a really pretty lady." Kara answered.

"A lady?" Lotor asked becoming curious.

"She was really, really pretty. She had long golden hair, and blue eyes, and she smiled a lot."

"Golden hair and blue eyes?" Lotor asked feeling a wave of shock pulse through him.

"Yes. I tried to ask her name, but before she could tell me I woke up." Kara answered. "Daddy, is something wrong?"

"N..no dear. I'm just very tired." Lotor replied..

"Do you know who she is daddy?" Kara asked.

"Perhaps she is your guardian angel, and she watches over you in your dreams." Her father explained.

"I hope I see her again. She's really pretty." Kara said with a sudden yawn.

"Silly girlish dream." Tirrien muttered.

"It's not silly!" Kara protested.

"Tirrien, don't upset your sister. Just because you've had a rough day doesn't give you the right to take it out on her." Lotor said sternly.

"Yes father." Tirrien grumbled.

"It's getting late. Time for you two to get into bed." Lotor replied carrying Kara back to her bed. He turned the covers down while still holding onto his daughter. Then he gently set her down upon her bed and pulled the covers up to her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Tirrien got off his bed and set his wooden sword next to the head stand. He then got into bed and covered himself up.

"Good night my children."

"Good night daddy." Kara said with another yawn.

"Good night father." Tirrien said and closed his eyes.

When he saw they were both falling asleep, he turned off the main light and left a tiny night light on for Kara. He then quietly exited their room and closed the door. As he walked to his own bedroom, the thought of the woman in Kara's dream haunted him. "Golden hair and blue eyes?" He said to himself.

"No. That can't be possible. Kara doesn't even know..." He paused as he walked over to his dresser. "It's just a coincidence. Lots of women have blonde hair and blue eyes. That's all it was...a coincidence. She was just having a fanciful dream."

_First off, sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter posted. I had it done a while back but just have not had the time to post it. Real life choses to rear its head at the most inconvient times..._

_PrinceLotorSincline: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Yes, having Lotor threaten to kill himself would be rather out of his character, but also as you stated this is fanfic. But, a secret will be revealed about that later in the story. The main motivation behind that part was the hell it would have put on his father. In this story, Zarkon was no longer able to produce heirs, and leaving the throne without an heir would have thrown his kingdom into complete chaos and Lotor would have gone to his grave relishing in the madness his father would have to deal with. Of course, like I said, there's a secret behind that. _

_Things are quite subdued right now, but things will get more intense as the story progresses. _

_And while Lotor is protective of his children, he certainly doesn't have a problem going to his ruthless and menacing self to those who dare to threaten his kids. He's going on redemption, but pieces of his old self are still there._


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